TA watering holes: Going up the mainstream – Merhav Yarkon

Volume III

What: Merhav Yarkon

Where: HaRakevet 16

When: Doors open at 9…get there early!!

The former police station turned mega bar is not a typical mainstream club. Opened in June 2011 Merhav Yarkon ushered in a new era of mainstream Tel Aviv night clubs. Everything from the concept to the design to the music sets this new hotspot comfortably in between the average Tel Aviv mega bar and a ultra alternative underground club.

It’s not comparable to any of the other bars in the city; I just can’t define it as kitchy mainstream because the music is definitely not your typical pop hits but more like electro hits, the kind that everyone knows and loves to dance to. Merhav is also categorized as “mainstream” because of the huge crowds that flock there and the heavy publicity, the PR and the staff make sure to get the word out about the new club because the nightlife competition in Tel Aviv is fierce and in this dog eat dog city it all comes down to survival of the fittest and when it comes down to it Merhav Yarkons’ motto should be “if ya can’t beat em’… join em”.

Other than the wannabe non-mainstream, too cool for school attitude that makes this bar what it is there are definitely some pretty cool features that this spot has to offer. Unlike its summer mega-bar comrades it’s not designed with the typical main dance party room and quiet outdoor deck, here you feel like you’re indoors but you’re actually under the night sky in the huge run down police station and if you need a break from the massive sea of people there is an entrance way to a teeny tiny bar, with different music and a different energy altogether, the only problem is, like I said, its teeny tiny and only about 40 people can fit in there comfortably.

All an all I have a feeling this place is going to be around for a while and it’s absolutely worth a visit or two. If you’re in the mood for something a little different from what you’re used to, but don’t want to stray too far from the cool kids this is the place for you.

At first glance it would seem that this may be an exciting cultural event that emphasizes the uniqueness of our beautiful Tel Aviv, however like almost everything else here, the difference between what is perceived and the actual reality is definitely coincidental.